Amores Perros

A part of me, upon initially reacting to the Michael Vick dogfighting scandal, wondered quietly, "So what?"

Society loves an entertainer, and entertainers with a propensity to run afoul of the law are no exception.

Crucifixion had its place in ancient Rome and Persia.

The pillory was the rage across Europe for centuries.

The French with their je ne sais quoi were fond of the guillotine.

All of these methods and devices were not merely for punishing criminals and serving as a visual aid aimed at deterrence, but they all were quite fun to watch for parts of the populace.

Whatever happens to Michael Vick will fall in line with these others, I thought to myself.



There are few things you can do with an animal that are more inhumane that training them to fight one another for sport. One of those things is dispatching the dogs in the ways prosecutors allege Michael Vick & Co. did.

That said, Tim Donaghy could end up spending decades in prison for betting on basketball while serving as an NBA referee. While conspiracy to engage in wire fraud is a serious issue, let's compare these two cases.

The respective careers of Michael Vick and Tim Donaghy are, for all intents and purposes, finished.

Both Vick and Donaghy made their living in sports.



And that's where the similiarities end. Vick plans to plead guilty to charges stemming from tales of almost unimaginable cruelty toward another living being. Donaghy made a few lame calls during NBA games to boost his bank account.

But when it's all over, Donaghy likely will spend more time in prison for his misdeeds.

That said, I venture to guess Vick will suffer far more should this really mean the end of his career in professional sports.

The Vick saga is a grand drama, and deep in the hearts of many, I know they're loving every minute of it.